Memorable movie hall experiences .....

Seeing BARRY LYNDON on the big screen - at Kine Park (my beloved picture palace on the edge of the park)  in 1975 remains one of the most wondrous and memorable cinematic experiences of my life. I can remember sitting alone and transfixed to the screen in the fourth row of Kine Park One that Saturday afternoon watching the breathtaking images unfold as if it was yesterday. The film, and especially its visual beauty (with the incredible lighting - the visionary Kubrick used innovative techniques for the very time to capture candle-lit scenes) blew my mind. To say I was dazzled is an understatement. I have re-watched the film on both VHS and DVD but the experience is not the same. However, I now have BARRY LYNDON on Blu Ray and hope to revisit it soon. BTW, Kine Park still stands opposite ST George's Park about a kilometre from where I live. I pass it every couple of days and always feel a vivid sense of nostalgia for the movies I saw there in the seventies and beyond. While it changed hands and was revamped a couple of times over the years - one time at a cost of millions of rands - it eventually closed down and has been defunct for many years now. The looming, attractive building - owned by Port Elizabeth furniture tycoons the Khan brothers - now stands empty and the entrances are all chained up, but the projectors and the seats and fittings are still in there.